System Shock - Systems
The rules that sit under System Shock's shooting: how the station gates progress, how the player is expected to solve problems, and how the remake differs from the 1994 original. Every system here is a dial the player can lean on differently, and most of them can be bypassed by more than one of the...
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of 11 entries
· updated 2026-09-15
| Name | Type | Description | Stats | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granular Difficulty Settings | Difficulty | System Shock splits difficulty into separate dials for combat, mission, puzzle and cyberspace rather than offering one preset. | Dials: Combat, Mission, Puzzle, Cyberspace Range: Multiple steps per dial Effect: Changes enemy difficulty, objective guidance and minigame complexity independently | Set at the start of a new game and adjustable from the options menu |
| Cyberspace | Minigame Layer | The neural interface lets the hacker leave his body and enter the station's data network as a wireframe cursor. | Access: Cyberspace terminals and jack points on every deck Objective: Destroy data nodes and ICE to unlock physical systems Risk: Death in cyberspace counts as death in the station | Unlocked by the neural interface implant from the opening |
| Hacking and Lock Bypass | Puzzle | Doors, containers, security panels and elevators are locked behind hacking minigames: grid puzzles where the player routes a signal through nodes, and wiring panels where circuits have to be reconnected. | Targets: Bulkheads, cargo lockers, security panels, elevators Failure: Raises alert level and can trigger alarms Alternative: Keycards, codes from audio logs, or destroying the door's control node | Introduced on the Medical deck and used on every deck above it |
| Hardware Upgrades | Progression | The remake's replacement for a conventional skill tree. | Currency: Hardware chips found in the world Install Point: Hardware stations Scope: Body modules, weapon mods and utility upgrades | Chips scattered from Maintenance upward |
| Audio Logs and Environmental Storytelling | Narrative | The station's story is told through the recordings of the crew who were on it: technicians, researchers, security staff and Diego himself. | Content: Crew testimony, station history, access codes Mechanical Value: Codes, keycards and hazard warnings Delivery: Physical log items played in place | Found on every deck |
| Station Security Network | Stealth and Escalation | Citadel Station tracks a single security level fed by cameras, robots, turrets and failed hacks. | Sources: Cameras, robots, turrets, failed hacks Effects: Lockdowns, extra spawns, turret activation Countermeasures: Destroyed cameras, hacked nodes, EMP | Active from the Research deck onward |
| Weapons and Ammunition Classes | Combat | The arsenal splits into melee, ballistic and energy weapons. | Melee: Lead pipe, laser rapier Ballistic: Pistol, Magnum, assault rifle, riot gun, grenade launcher Energy: Sparqbeam, plasma rifle, ion rifle Ammo: Pooled by class, not per weapon | Weapons found across the station and restocked through vending machines |
| Recycling and Credits | Economy | Junk is not dead weight. Recycler units convert scrap, broken electronics and empty containers into credits, and credits are what the station's vending machines accept for ammunition, batteries and medical supplies. | Input: Junk, scrap, broken electronics, empty containers Output: Credits Spent At: Vending machines | Recycler units found on the station |
| Physical Access: Keycards and Keypads | Access Control | Not every locked bulkhead is a hacking puzzle. | Methods: Keycards, keypad codes, cyberspace door nodes Codes Found In: Audio logs, emails, terminals Failure: Wrong codes simply refuse the door, with no alert penalty | Introduced on the Medical deck and used on every deck above it |
| Radiation and Bio-Contamination | Hazard | Parts of Citadel Station are lethal to stand in. | Hazards: Radiation, bio-contamination Effect: Continuous health drain that persists after leaving the area Countermeasures: Anti-radiation medicine, detox treatment, protection modules | First encountered on the Maintenance and Storage decks |
| Inventory, Batteries and Medical Supplies | Survival | The hacker carries a limited grid of slots, and every pickup competes for them: ammunition stacks by class, batteries feed the energy weapons, medkits heal, and junk waits to be recycled. | Inventory: Limited slot grid Consumables: Medkits, batteries, ammunition Pressure: Junk competes with supplies for the same slots | Active from the opening of the game |
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